Sometimes it’s fun to go back and watch movies or television shows that you really enjoyed as a kid, things that really made an impression on you. I remember, for instance, watching the Doctor Who serial, “The Daemons,” on public television when I was maybe twelve or thirteen years old.

Even decades later, I still remembered how this was the serial in which a gargoyle came to life. That idea fascinated me for years and so began a lifetime interest in those stone creatures. I even went so far as taking a series of photographs of cathedral gargoyles while vacationing in France.

So it was a real pleasure to finally get the opportunity to watch “The Daemons” again, this time on DVD, after so many years. And I have to tell you: it didn’t disappoint.

Originally aired on the BBC in spring 1971, “The Daemons” features Jon Pertwee as The (Third) Doctor and Katy Manning as his companion, Jo Grant. In this five-part series, The Doctor faces off against his longtime nemesis, The Master (Roger Delgado) as the scheming, bearded villain seeks to summon the seemingly occult power of an ancient alien force that has been using mankind as some sort of bizarre laboratory experiment.

There’s also a giant horned beast named Azal and a gargoyle come to life named Bok. It’s a thrilling, occasionally tongue-in-cheek journey through the British occult with enough cliffhangers to keep you enthralled and watching. And the gargoyle with the power to make people disappear is pretty cool too. Even after all these years.

Oh, I love this one! It’s one of those keystone DOCTOR WHO stories that you might use to introduce someone to the show. A good script, and a slightly more expensive feel to the production (the producer was also co-writer, and he was able to give it a bigger than usual budget).

All the regulars were now comfortable in their roles, and the guest cast was also well chosen–not least Damaris Hayman as the local white witch. There’s lots to love about this show, but let’s just remember the classic line. When the Doctor’s ally, Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart, first encounters the living gargoyle he responds by telling one of his soldiers “Chap with wings there. Five rounds rapid!”

Once past the early episodes with Hartnell when the Doctor was teaching history lessons — and some of those hold up too — the writing on the series and the tongue in cheek attitude made sure it mostly holds up over the years.

Part of why it works is that at one level, for all the eccentricity, the Doctor is played consistently alien and just a little dangerous, not exactly a hero and not always likable or lovable. His ability to be a pain in the butt has kept him an interesting character for fifty plus years.

A good villain doesn’t hurt either, and Delgado was excellent as the Master.

David: There is a lovely example of this in the first episode of THE DAEMONS. The Doctor bursts into a pub and asks for directions to the archeological dig. He’s so high-handed and abrasive that he’s almost on the verge of a fight with everyone there, and it’s actually his cute young assistant who is able to get the information that he needs. On the other hand, The Master, posing as the loval vicar, is able to insinuate himself into village life very easily.

I read one of the past writers on the show talking about how it was important never to show the Doctor acting like a superhero. He isn’t on some crusade against evil, but is rather a sort of ‘galactic tourist’ who can’t help getting involved in other people’s problems.

One of the reason for the character to survive over fifty years is how each actor to play the character brings his own touch to the Doctor. We all have our favorites (mine are 11 and 4).

For those who enjoyed 1 and 3 (Hartnell and Pertwee) should try 12 (Peter Capaldi) which is due to air his second season soon on BBCA. 12 is an older Doctor who dresses with the flair of 3.

Pertwee has been called the most Bond-like Doctor and can be fun to watch. Mindless fun is the biggest difference between Classic Doctor and the new version. There is no doubt today’s WHO is a better quality drama, but I miss the pure childlike fun of the classic.

Lately, I’ve been at YouTube, watching episodes of Whodunnit?, a panel game that ran on ITV in the late ’70s.
Its relevance here is that for most of its run, the emcee (or compere, to use the British term) was Jon Pertwee (aka the Third Doctor).
The format: a murder mystery playlet was shown to a ‘celebrity panel’ and some players selected from the studio audience. These people would then get to question the suspects (and since we’re talking about as many as eight people, we’re eating up a lot of time) and examine the clues, before drawing their conclusions at the finish.
Pertwee and the celebs tended to play it for laughs, while the audience players were in it for the prizes.
The celebrities, by the way, were mainly popular players on British TV, most of whom would be almost totally unknown to Americans (I do recall one appearance by Lindsay Wagner, who was quite popular in the UK for Bionic Woman; there might be a few more – I haven’t watched all of them).
There were four series (seasons) of Whodunnit? on ITV (Thames Television). The first series was hosted by Edward Woodward, who wasn’t quite able to loosen up enough for this game. Jon Pertwee, who’d been on the panel a couple of times, took over for the second series and stayed the course for the rest of the run.
There was an American version that NBC tried out as a summer replacement during this period. Ed McMahon was the host (honest), and the panel usually had people like F. Lee Bailey and Melvin Belli (really). NBC’s gimmick was to have name guest stars as the victims (they’d appear in flashbacks that were shown to the panel during the game); they tended to be people like Jack Klugman, Loni Anderson, and Erik Estrada (no kidding).

Back to the British Whodunnit? for a bit:
As I mentioned at the top, you can see practically the whole run at YouTube – it’s got its own channel. Worth checking out.
And I cop to using the mention of Jon Pertwee as my excuse to bring it to your attention.

I have watched all the Doctors of the series DOCTOR WHO. What is obvious with the first Doctor has become less obvious with the modern version, DOCTOR WHO is YA SF written to scare kids and force them to watch while hiding behind the family’s living room sofa.

I have found all of the Doctors watchable with the exception being #6 Colin Baker. Once I learned what they were attempting with 6 I was able to feel sadness they never got to finish what they had set up. When a Doctor regenerates he changes and suffers a type of madness (the modern versions have made that obvious). 6 didn’t fully recover (thus the costume) and plans were 6 would have slowly developed into a more sane Doctor.

Pertwee’s version was burdened by budget cuts and to deal with that Doctor 3 got sentenced to Earth and UNIT was invented and the aliens came to Earth rather than the Doctor going to them (for the most part).

Tom Baker’s version was my first and with the humor my favorite. Douglas Adams (HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY) was a story editor for a period and wrote two of my favorite episodes (“Pirate Planet” and “City of Death”).

Colin Baker’s Doctor was let down by some dreadful scripts and a lack of attention from the Producer and Script Editor. If you watch the first story from his second and final season you can see a more reasonable, calmer character, but sadly decisions had already been made behind the scenes to drop him. He has been making further sixth Doctor stories for BigFinish for years now, and he is absolutely superb, being able to do the slow reveal of his real character than he was cheated on in the TV series.

CITY OF DEATH is one of my favourites, too. Everything comes together perfectly, and the dialogue crackles.

The Doctor remains one of the handful of hugely popular characters that can be mean and unlikeable at times (Holmes is another).

Pertwee Doctor had a condescending attitude towards the Earthlings and could be quite rude. Yet like all the others but 6 there was a soft side and a sense as an alien he was so above us we forgave him.

But there were times I wanted Liz Shaw to punch the Doctor right in his patronizing mouth.

The best thing about Pertwee’s Doctor was 3 introduced the best companion of the entire 50+ years – Sarah Jane Smith.

Nobody asked and I am bored so I thought I’d add my views of each Doctor.

Like nearly all of Doctor Who fans I will ignore the films in 1965 and 1966 that starred Peter Cushing as “Doctor Who.”

First was William Hartnell. The series was meant to teach history to children so number one was a bit stuffy. Hartnell’s increasingly bad health made his Doctor at times grouchy. He was a good place for the series to begin.

Second was Patrick Troughton. This was where each Doctor having his (its?) own personality was established. Old and stuffy was gone, replaced by childlike and scruffy who never could be totally trusted, a court jester with the heart of a hero. Troughton is wonderful in the part but the character is not someone I would trust enough to explore the Universe with.

Third was Jon Pertwee. The flashy adventurer 3 was stuck on Earth and some of the most boring locations. An ego as big as his hair 3 was too straight and without much humor for my taste.

Four was Tom Baker. 4 was the one most of America first saw on PBS. Over the top, weird, funny and very alien. The huge Baker bounced around the sets with an energy of a child full of wonder on Christmas day. The stories were not the point, it was like spending your vacation with your crazy Uncle – pure fun.

Five was Peter Davison. Dull, bland, could have easily stepped into a British period drama and asked, “Tennis, anyone?”. An overreaction by the Showrunner to 4’s buffoonery. Suffered with some of the worst companions in the series history.

Six was Colin Baker. Easy to despise. Not just rude to others but verbally abusive. A bully. A nation cheered when 6 was put out of our misery.

Seven was Sylvester McCoy. Reminds me some of 2. A trickster. Charming. Con man. Caring about Ace his companion. 7 was unable to overcome the distaste 6 had left with the character. Scripts were never great in DOCTOR WHO and the series was showing its age. 7 would be the last Doctor for awhile.

Eight was Paul McGann who was the best thing about a very bad TV Movie pilot made for American TV. It is impossible to know 8 in one TV Movie, but 8 has been very popular choice in the book tie-ins and the radio dramas. 8 also was in a mini-episode online called “Night of the Doctor” that explored his role in the Time War between the Time Lords (Doctor is a Time Lord) and the Daleks.

War Doctor was John Hurt. The Doctor who made the choice to end the Time War by committing genocide of the Time Lords and Daleks (but in SF nothing is permanent).

Nine was Christopher Eccleston. Darker. Haunted by what the Doctor did in the Time War. Eccleston would leave the show after one year. He has been secretive about why but it seems the producers wanted him to portray the Doctor in a way he didn’t. Nine would fall for his companion Rose but that would get more involved with 10.

Ten was David Tennant. Emotional, romantic, heartthrob. The Doctor gets mushy. 10 and Rose have a tragic love affair. Drama replaces action adventure. Even cries he doesn’t want to go before he regenerates into 11. But Tennant is a good enough actor for even us guys to forgive the mushy parts.

Eleven was Matt Smith and my favorite. 11 had the childlike wonder of the Universe we had not seen since 4. Yet he could stare down a spaceship full of weapons and they would leave in terror when he told them he was The Doctor. A complex personality, romantically awkward but gets married, burden by an ancient long past but still young enthusiastic being in love with adventure. Cheerful but in a moment full of rage.

Twelve is Peter Capaldi. I am looking forward to seeing where the Capaldi takes the character. Rude, alien to the point of clueless about humans. In his first year 12 acted like a jealous Father when companion Clara began to spend more time with a man she met on Earth. Ruthless, fierce, he does not care for others approval except for Carla’s. In some ways a Scottish Sherlock Holmes in manners.

Michael, Thank you for setting this out so succinctly. I lost track of the series at one point, picked it up again and then lost track again. Maybe I’ll return to it again some day. Too many books. Too many films. Not enough time.

Thanks for the kind words guys. I had fun. The premise of DOCTOR WHO has lasted over 50 years, but the series is really a dozen different shows within that one premise. And I didn’t go into detail about all the companions and Showrunners.

I expect the next actor to take over the role of the Doctor to be a woman. What an amazing series premise that can fit that and all the different main characters of its past and succeed.